Bengaluru lake spews toxic froth

Three lakes – Bellandur, Varthur, and Yemalur lakes – in the city spat foam onto the roads in their vicinity on Wednesday, shocking motorists and residents of the area. The lakes looked like giant pools of foam, even as civic authorities passed the blame on to each other.

The authorities insist that the foaming was due to detergents which were discharged by households and had flown untreated into the lake.

Studies conducted by the Indian Institute for Science show that Varthur lake – the second largest in the city – is eutrophic, meaning that it has high concentrations of nutrients which stimulate excessive plant growth. Although the study said that no ground water samples were contaminated, it recommended further studies.

City in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy has said the Bangalore Development Authority – which has ownership of most lakes in the city – has already initiated talks with NGOs for lake development projects. A multi-agency approach has been planned to resolve the problem of foaming of these lakes, said Reddy.

The government also proposed not just to de-silt the lakes, but also to work out ways to use the recovered material for other productive purposes.